


A Small Favour

by frith_in_thorns



Category: Wolf 359 (Radio)
Genre: Awkward Domesticity, F/F, First Kiss, Fluff, Lovelace being something of a troll, generally awkward dorks, minlace, mostly buildup sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-28
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-25 12:59:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12531952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frith_in_thorns/pseuds/frith_in_thorns
Summary: Lovelace started laughing. At her, obviously. Minkowski hoped she wasn't still attempting to cut her hair while doing so. She kept her eyes closed so that she wouldn’t have to find out.





	A Small Favour

"When you have some free time, can you help me with something?" Minkowski asked. She didn't much like asking favours, so it probably came across as more brusque than anything.

"Sure," Lovelace said. "Well, potentially. Depending on what it is." She didn't look busy, but her expression said that she would be able to conjure up something urgent if necessary.

"Nothing like that," Minkowski assured her, hastily. "Nothing official, actually. I just wondered if you could… help cut my hair?"

Lovelace raised her eyebrows. "Cut your hair?"

She had _known_ it would be embarrassing to ask. "It's just… it's starting to get in my face, and it's much easier with someone to help."

"Huh," Lovelace said. "Wait. Who've you got to help you before? Not _Eiffel_?"

Minkowski grimaced. "Well, Hilbert, back when — Well. Then I _did_ actually let Eiffel have a go… once."

"Do you have any photos?" Lovelace asked.

"Shut up. Anyway, then Hilbert did it again. And then I did it on my own, but that was a complete pain in the ass and I'd rather avoid that if I have a choice."

Lovelace looked at her somewhat oddly. "So I've been here for most of that time, and you still went back and asked Hilbert instead?"

Minkowski shrugged defensively. "I don't know. It feels kind of a personal thing to ask." She wasn't sure how to diffuse the awkwardness. "Anyway, I have no idea whether you're good at cutting hair or not."

"I'm sure I'm better than Eiffel," Lovelace said. "So that's your low expectations set up front. Do you want to do this now?"

"If you're free," Minkowski said. "Uh, we found before it's best doing it in the shower, because then you can turn on the extractor to vacuum everything up."

Lovelace's lips quirked. "Sure. Let's both go squeeze into your shower."

Minkowski could feel herself blushing, and started moving in an attempt to hide it. She was certain Lovelace had noticed.

When they actually got to her quarters and Minkowski was forced to confront just how small her shower really was, she flirted with the idea of calling the whole thing off. Except she didn't think that would wipe off Lovelace’s ironic grin. Better to just go through with it — then she might still feel mortified, but at least she wouldn't keep getting strands of hair in her face.

"After you," Lovelace said.

Minkowski found her clippers and squeezed herself into the shower, balling herself up as small as possible with her head held near the light.

Lovelace didn't seem to be trying to likewise minimise the space she was taking up. She bumped gently against Minkowski, with multiple points of contact along her body as she rearranged herself.

"So, are you going for a particular style?" Lovelace asked. Her breath tickled Minkowski's ear.

"Um," Minkowski said. "Short."

"Gotcha," Lovelace said, and Minkowski could hear her gently mocking grin. "Last change to back out."

"Just get on with it," Minkowski said, slightly snappishly, and then remembered that Lovelace was actually doing her a favour. "Please."

"Okay, okay." Lovelace switched on the extractor. The rhythmic whirr and thump wasn't loud enough to cover conversation — Minkowski felt a little less awkward with the background noise.

Still, she had to stifle a flinch as Lovelace put her hands on her head and decisively turned it into a better position. "Don't move," she ordered.

Minkowski held herself obediently stiff. The small noises the clippers made were less noticeable than Lovelace's breaths, uneven as she concentrated. Sharp inhale, huffed exhale. Lovelace worked impatiently, frequently adjusting Minkowski's head with a warm hand on her scalp. Minkowski's early attempt to proactively help was met with a pointed readjustment, so she relapsed into passivity.

It was strange to be touched so much by another person. She tried and failed dismally not to be keenly aware of every point of contact, and they had drifted even closer together in the tiny space then they had begun. Against her back she could feel Lovelace's chest rise and fall. Minkowski had never been that much of a tactile person but right then all she wanted was to press even closer, to be _held_ … She stared very hard at the wall of the shower cubicle.

"Right, turn round," Lovelace ordered, and had her hands on Minkowski's shoulders to start twisting her before she had even had a chance to comply on her own.

Minkowski wriggled herself around the rest of the way. It was a tight squeeze, and would have been easier if she didn't refuse to allow herself to use Lovelace as a brace.

Lovelace continued to have no such compunctions. She planted her hands firmly on Minkowski's shoulders, levering their positions until she had a good view of the top of Minkowski's head. "Right, stay there," she said, and began again.

Unfortunately, this new angle meant that Minkowski's tactic of staring straight ahead no longer worked as well. She risked lifting her head a fraction, earning an annoyed noise from Lovelace, but putting her neck and chin into eye-line instead of the curve of her breast.

Lovelace's lips were pressed tight in concentration, puckering in small movements every few seconds. Her chin bobbed she swallowed.

Minkowski moved just her eyes to glance up at Lovelace's expression, and smiled involuntarily at the scowl creasing her forehead.

Feeling greatly daring, Minkowski let her eyes wander up and down Lovelace's face, eventually returning to settle on her lips, with their slight twitching open and closed as Lovelace concentrated.

"Are you staring at me?" Lovelace asked.

Minkowski glanced up, met Lovelace's eyes, hastily looked sideways instead. "No!" she insisted, but she could feel her face flaming in embarrassment.

"Oh my god, I've never seen you blush this much. I don't think I've seen _anyone_ blush this much."

Mortifyingly, Minkowski was sure her face was only getting redder. She decided on a new approach of shutting her eyes. Maybe she could humiliate herself less if she pretended she wasn't in this situation at all.

Lovelace started laughing. At her, obviously. Minkowski hoped she wasn't still attempting to cut her hair while doing so. She kept her eyes closed so that she wouldn’t have to find out.

"Minkowski." Lovelace finally sobered. "It's _okay_ , I'm not… Well, I don't really know what you're thinking."

"That this has been completely embarrassing from start to finish?" Minkowski suggested. Still not looking.

"Oh, is that all?" Lovelace sounded… disappointed. "I've finished your haircut now. Short and regulation just as requested."

Minkowski finally dared to open her eyes. Lovelace was floated next to her now, their faces at the same height. Which removed one aspect of awkwardness, at least. She gingerly ran her fingers through her hair, noting the familiar shape of it. "It feels okay. Thanks."

"You're welcome," Lovelace said. She reached out and touched Minkowski's newly-shortened hair gently. "Any time."

That felt like a cue to move, except that Lovelace didn't. " _You're_ staring now," Minkowski pointed out.

"Yeah," Lovelace agreed, and kissed her.

It was a light kiss — a momentary brush on the lips, withdrawn almost before it started. Lovelace pulled back and just _looked_ at her.

Clearly she was waiting for Minkowski to say something clever. Unfortunately, Minkowski's brain seemed to be experiencing some sort of overload. She stared at Lovelace blankly. After several seconds the best she could come out with was, "…Uh?"

Lovelace's initial apprehension turned to impatience. "So?" she asked.

That seemed… a non sequitur of a question. “What?” Minkowski asked, now doubly confused.

Lovelace rolled her eyes. “ _So,_ now it’s your turn.”

“It is?” Minkowski still felt like her brain was short-circuiting. She was still waiting for some sense to appear.

“My god, Minkowski, it’s like you’ve never interacted with other humans. And I’m aware of the irony, yes.” She sighed heavily. “I made a move. Now you have to either show disinterest or reciprocate.”

Oh. Well. If that was _all_. “You could have given me some warning.”

She was astonished to realise that now _Lovelace_ was blushing, her cheeks darkening. “Unless… Did I completely misread you? I did, didn’t I. Never mind, I’m just going to go throw myself out the nearest airlock.”

“No, wait!” Minkowski grabbed Lovelace’s shoulder. “I didn’t — I was just — I mean —”

Lovelace raised her eyebrows, still poised to retreat. “What?”

“Um…”

Lovelace sighed. “Look, you don’t have to apologise. I shouldn’t have made things awkward. I thought… Well, never mind. _I’m_ sorry.”

“No, not that,” Minkowski said. It was hard work getting out a complete sentence. “The other one.”

“The other… what?” Now Lovelace was looking thoroughly confused, too.

“The other option,” Minkowski said.

“The —” Lovelace’s face cleared. “The reciprocating option?”

Minkowski nodded, holding her breath.

Lovelace waited for a moment, then blinked. “You do know what _reciprocate_ means, don’t you?”

“If we’re being pedantic…”

“We are. Maximally pedantic.” Lovelace’s mouth was gradually curving into a smug smile, like a cat’s.

Minkowski kissed her.

Or, more accurately, she _tried_ , but this being the first kiss she had initiated in zero gravity she didn’t account for transfer of momentum and really only managed to push Lovelace’s face away with her face. “Don’t say anything,” she groaned. “Just kill me now.”

“That doesn’t sound much fun,” Lovelace said. “Just try holding on first.” She put her arms around Minkowski and pulled her close. She was very warm, and her body was soft enough to give slightly against Minkowski’s hard angles.

It was a much better kiss this time.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> The GORGEOUS illustration for this fic is by [chaosdoodles](https://chaosdoodles.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
